‘Unexceptional’ US, Russia scrap over Putin’s NY Times Op-Ed

Russia and the US continue to trade barbs over President Vladimir Putin’s recent Op-Ed in the New York Times, in which he took issue with America viewing itself as “exceptional” and the dangers it posed in Syria and beyond.

On Friday, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he was bemused
that the United States continued to insist that it occupied an
“exceptional” role in the international arena.

“Democracy implies the existence of competition, but at times
there is the perception that the US has estranged itself from
this competition.”

Peskov insisted that Putin had no intention of pushing a
confrontation or offending anyone with his words. He continued
that as far as international affairs were concerned, Putin had no
interest in wagging his finger at anyone.

"However, our American friends over the last decade have
gotten into the habit of giving everyone a patronizing pat on the
back, which has served to shape the world’s attitude towards the
United States,” he said.

The Kremlin’s reaction came after a tough response from the White
House regarding Putin’s Op-Ed on Thursday, saying Russia’s own
actions had served to demonstrate how the US is in fact
“exceptional.”

"Unlike Russia, the United States stands up for democratic
values and human rights in our own country and around the
world," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Carney said the very fact The New York Times would publish
Putin’s column served to demonstrate the US’s commitment to
freedom of expression, and "that is not a tradition shared in
Russia ... And it is a fact freedom of expression has been on the
decrease over the past dozen or so years in Russia."

"It is also worth noting," Carney said, "that Russia is
isolated and alone in blaming the [Syrian] opposition for the
chemical weapons attack on Aug. 21."

Top US lawmakers were even less restrained in their criticism,
with the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob
Menendez, decrying Putin’s words as pure emetic.

“I almost wanted to vomit,” the Democratic Senator from
New Jersey told CNN on Wednesday.

“I worry when someone who came up through the KGB tells us
what is in our national interests, and what is not. It really
raises the question of how serious the Russian proposal is.”

Republican Senator James Inhofe from Oklahoma, in a further
allusion to the Cold War, said: “I could hear Reagan turning
over in his grave.”

House Speaker John Boehner said he was insulted after reading
Putin’s article, while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he
did not believe Putin wanted to undermine Obama with his Op-Ed,
but was rather “looking for an excuse to show off his Super
Bowl ring.”

Republican Senator John McCain from Arizona tweeted: “Putin’s
NYT op-ed is an insult to the intelligence of every
American.”

He also said he would love to write a response to Putin and on
Friday McCain's spokesman, Brian Rogers, confirmed that he will
submit a piece in the Russian newspaper Pravda.

“We would be only pleased to publish a story penned by such a
prominent politician as John McCain," Dmitry Sudakov, the
English editor of Pravda, told Foreign Policy.

McCain’s submission in both Russian and English is expected by
next Wednesday at the latest.

In Putin’s Sept. 11 article, he said he wanted to speak
“directly to the American people and their political
leaders” regarding the events in Syria.

Arguing against a unilateral strike against Syria by the United
States, Putin took issue with President Barack Obama’s position
that intervention was spurred by America being exceptional.

In his nationally televised speech on Syria Tuesday night, Obama
said America was “not the world’s policeman” and it was beyond
its power to “right every wrong.”

“But when, with modest effort and risk, we can stop children
from being gassed to death, and thereby make our own children
safer over the long run, I believe we should act.” Obama
added: “That’s what makes America different. That’s what makes
us exceptional.”

Putin for his part countered that “It is extremely dangerous
to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever
the motivation.”

“There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor,
those with long democratic traditions and those still finding
their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all
different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not
forget that God created us equal.”